White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defended the president’s efforts to help his party in the midterms Tuesday after recent reports of grumbling among Democrats and party donors.

“The president is focused on what he can do to help Democrats in this midterm cycle,” Carney said, emphasizing President Barack Obama's fundraising, his grass-roots network and the technology behind it and work to boost turnout among the party’s most loyal voters.

“Midterms, as all you expert political reporters know, are about turnout, getting the base out. And no one is better at doing that than President Obama, at least in the Democratic Party,” Carney asserted. Carney also said the president was helping to “set the terms of the debate” by talking about infrastructure investments and jobs.

The Republican agenda, he said, is “focused on providing additional tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations” and “would hike taxes on middle-class families, strip away benefits, voucherize Medicare.”